Browsing CategoryWine Blogging Wednesday

Nero d’Avola, Sicily’s most popular and famous non-fortified wine, is one I first tasted a couple summers ago — in Orlando’s Epcot Center of all places. After a morning of dodging rain showers Nena, my parents and I were ready for lunch. So, we ducked into the Italian village and had a nice lunch at L’ Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante. My mother is 1/2 Sicilian and Nena and I are both part Sicilian as well, so when charged with picking our wine, I chose the only Sicilian on the list…a Nero d’Avola. It was delicious…and extremely food friendly (I…

It should come as no surprise that April’s Wine Blogging Wednesday host, Ron of LoveSicily, is sticking with…well, Sicily for his them. Sicilian reds to be exact. WBW #8 is April 13th…so start scouring store shelves for a Sicilian Red. I’m sure we’ll get lots of Nero D’avola…which is actually a varietal I enjoy a lot. But, I’m guessing that a few people will come up with some non-Nero reds. As someone with partial Sicilian roots (25%)…this seems like a good excuse to learn more about vino in my homeland.

When Andrew of Spittoon fame emailed me asking to host an upcoming vintage of Wine Blogging Wednesday, how could I say no? He’s one of the most prolific wine bloggers out there and someone I’ve had some interesting conversations with via email. I knew he’d come up with something clever…and he certainly didn’t disappoint. His theme, "Obscure Red Varietals" is one of the more interesting ones we’ve had to date. I always try to not drink Long Island wines for WBW, and usually it’s easy because the themes don’t work out for L.I. wine anyway. I thought I’d have to…

After a successful trip to South Africa, Wine Blogging Wednesday is back, scheduled for March 9…this time hosted by none other than Andrew at Spitoon. The theme? Obscure Red Grape Varieties. What does that mean exactly? No Cabernet Sauvignon. No Merlot. No Pinot Noir. What about Sangiovese or Tempranillo? Those are out too…we’re talking obscure here people. (For a complete list of banned substances, check out Andrew’s post.) He does offer some suggestions on where to look and what to look for…so fear not! Scour your wine shops for something unique…something weird…something you’ve wanted to try but never have!

When Jeanne of CookSister emailed me about hosting Wine Blogging Wednesday, I’ll admit I didn’t know much about her. Given her choice of themes, I quickly learned that she’s a South African living in the U.K. — and after reading her site I was hooked on her blend of knowledge, adventure and good humor. Her theme, South African Reds, takes us all back to her homeland. My entree in WBW #6 is 2000 Porcupine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon from Boekenhoutskloof Estates. Boekenhoutskloof is a fairly well-known winery in the Franschhoek region of South Africa. Porcupine Ridge is actually winemaker Mark Kent’s second…

It may seem that excitement of WBW #5 has barely faded but…we’ve got another one for cranking for February, hosted by none other than Jeanne of CookSister. Now anyone that knows J knows that she hails from South Africa…so is it any surprise that she has chosen South African Reds as her theme? I think not. I for one am excited to expand my enological horizons and scour local wine shops for a suitable bottle or two for the event, which is scheduled for February 16th. I’ve only had a handful of SA wines…and only a couple reds. As I…